My start plant of the year is the same as other years - the Red Velour Tidal Wave petunia. It still stops my heart when I see it - the habit, the colour and the exuberance. It is in the kind of "destination spot" of my garden, above the pond; the focal point; where a piece of sculpture would be, if I had any sculpture. I can see it from the kitchen when I do the washing up. So many months of flowering. I love that it trails and climbs at the same time. More punchy than the thunbergia, more reliable than a cobea.
I thought of this thread when I was looking at my Aster frikartii monch today - another surprise star performer for me in this year's drought, and only planted last autumn
Here they are now, in a dry, sun-baked southwest-facing corner of the garden. Behind them you can see buddleias that long ago withered and shrivelled under the same conditions.
To name one that's come into its own this year, I think probably Sanguisorba 'Raspberry Coulis' - it's had a presence in the garden since June and still looks pretty good now.
EDIT - just spotted I already answered earlier with the same plant. Oh well, here's a pic anyway!
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
To name one that's come into its own this year, I think probably Sanguisorba 'Raspberry Coulis' - it's had a presence in the garden since June and still looks pretty good now.
EDIT - just spotted I already answered earlier with the same plant. Oh well, here's a pic anyway!
Begonia glowing embers. The one I moaned about earlier in the year. 😳 It looks more like fireworks than embers and I'm not even particularly fond of orange plants!
I've been really happy with my pots this year. But that orange striped gazania (in front of the watering cans) has been giving me joy all summer - flowering non stop and so cheery. And pretty pleased with the pink ones which I grew from seed.
Salvias, especially the hot lips, which has got to the point where I'm going to have to move a few more plants that it's covering, it's about 3.5x5ft now. Toadflax has wilted in the drought on and off, but they're still flowering prolifically and the bees love both plants. And the black walnut which I cut down is looking massively healthy, unfortunately it just won't go quietly, so I've let it thrive until autumn and it'll have to be black bagged.
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Here they are now, in a dry, sun-baked southwest-facing corner of the garden. Behind them you can see buddleias that long ago withered and shrivelled under the same conditions.
EDIT - just spotted I already answered earlier with the same plant. Oh well, here's a pic anyway!
I've been really happy with my pots this year. But that orange striped gazania (in front of the watering cans) has been giving me joy all summer - flowering non stop and so cheery. And pretty pleased with the pink ones which I grew from seed.
Toadflax has wilted in the drought on and off, but they're still flowering prolifically and the bees love both plants.
And the black walnut which I cut down is looking massively healthy, unfortunately it just won't go quietly, so I've let it thrive until autumn and it'll have to be black bagged.